Sometimes, whilst slaving over the Annals, I am brought pages from other's personal journals for review and potential acceptance into our records. This entry was given to me by one of our newer Recruits, Drifter, shortly after one of The Black Company's recent Hit Contracts.

I snapped to amid the buzz of a waking camp. Still drowsy from a long night of Tonk and Whatnot I asked, "What's the mission LT?"

"Time to prove yourself Recruit. One of our scouts finally located our target, and you get to join the hit team."

My mind blazed. Finally! After almost two months as a Recruit I had a chance to show I was good for something more than cleaning pots and scrapping tallow off of smelly hide.

"Yarho Lieutenant!" I shouted as I blitzed into action; armor, equipment and other assorted gear flew everywhere as I threw myself together.

Within minutes we were standing in formation ready to move on the Lieutenant's orders. In what seemed like hours, but in reality was less than a minute, the Lieutenant strode out of S2, pulled out his teleportation book and threw a hereafter stone into the air while whispering an ancient incantation. With a low hum a portal to the capital city Marianople opened.

"Through the portal!" He barked.

I hesitated just long enough to earn myself a swift kick in the ass as I jumped through the glowing green sphere that had appeared in front of us. Ever since leaving Tyria, portals had made me nervous. That's something I'll need to get over and quick I decided, as we burst into the plaza at the heart of the city.

Waam was already mounted on his Elk, and made a snide comment about how some people make it through the portals faster than others.

The Lieutenant growled "Can it!" And continued, "Our scout reported following our target out of the Southern gate. We'll rendezvous with them at the Marianople to Halcyona carriage stop."

We rode hard, eager for the coming kill. Our black capes, trailed behind us like an omen of impending Doom. The pewter of my Recruit Death's Head glinted in the sunlight. I shuddered, for the Soulcatcher's Badge seemed eager to taste blood.

"Yar LT." Benstruation, a small time sorcerer recruited the same time as myself, stepped out of the shadows near the carriage station as we arrived.

"She is hidden over here." He gestured to an apparently empty corner.

I cast a sleep spell and a cloak over her. "It'll hold for a while, but we should get this over with before anyone notices us."

The Lieutenant paused for a moment, deep in thought. "Bring out the carts. We'll dress as merchants and hide her amongst the packs. Then we carry her to the cliffs above Sanddeep. No one will see us there."

I acknowledged and began the summoning spell that would cause my farm cart to appear on the road next to us. Honestly, I hate magic but it does have its uses from time to time.

Being recruits, the heavy lifting fell to Ben and I. We loaded the three available carts with trade packs full of rocks and other scraps we found in the nearby countryside. Meanwhile the Veteran Soldiers and The Lieutenant played a small hand of Tonk. I hollowed out a space in the center of my cart to load our target into. When he was ready, Ben uncovered her from the cloaking spell he had cast. I gasped.

She was exquisitely beautiful. She possessed long and golden hair, crowned a face out of every man's dreams. Her tight leather armor left very little to imagination revealing all the right curves in all the right places. I thought to myself, how could such beauty anger someone enough to pay The Company's price?. I shook my head, clearing it of her enchantment. She was nothing to me, just another body waiting to become a corpse.

"Lets go." The Lieutenant was getting impatient.

I produced some rope and tied her arms and legs behind her. Ben glowered, mumbling something about it being unnecessary because she was under his sleep spell. I didn't acknowledge his complaint. Covering the woman with a few hides, we drove south.

The Lieutenant posted Ben as scout and himself as rear guard while Waam, Delyn and I drove our carts, masquerading as another of many such groups of farmers and merchants bringing their wares to market. Our disguise was so slick and polished that no one we passed on the road even bothered to glance our way. The only trouble we ran into was when the women hidden in my cart began to wake up and struggle against her bonds. A brutal downward strike with the butt end of my axe put her back under as quick as any magic spell ever could. Hrmpf. Magic using pansies.

Once we arrived on the cliffs overlooking Sanddeep, Waam and Delyn unloaded our unconscious victim and roughly deposited her bound form in front of the Lieutenant. She was awake now; dark blue eyes wide with fear and confusion. The Lieutenant began to drone on about how The Black Company always fills its end of a Contract.

Once a deal had been struck it could not be rescinded. That was The Company way. It was nothing personal against her. Someone just didn't want her around any more. Too much competition it seemed. The confusion and fear I saw earlier had transformed into hatred and a dark bitter realization that her fate was sealed no matter how much she decided to threaten, plead or bribe. She was not leaving this cliff alive.

She cursed in Elven as the Lieutenant stepped behind her and grimly brought his dagger to her throat. Bright red blood spurted from her neck and as the life quickly faded from her eyes, Waam bent down and collected the requested proof of death. Her left ring finger. Suddenly, without explanation or warning, Delyn put a firm leather boot heel in the center of her chest and toppled her off the cliff to the ravine below.

As we rode back towards Home, I asked thoughtfully what her name was.

"Sakura the Alchemist," the Lieutenant replied. "Why does it matter to you, Recruit?"